Festive Wine

At home in leafy West London
Tasted Sunday, December 28, 2025 - Tuesday, December 30, 2025 by lozatron with 39 views

Flight 1 - Christmas Eve (1 Note)

Confit Duck

  • 1993 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    (12/29/2025)

    Served from magnum. Opened on Christmas eve and served with duck confit. Honestly I had low expectations of this, given the vintage, but thought that it was worth a roll of the dice, as a well performing Christmas Eve magnum is a good thing! Well a good thing happened. Garnet colour, the first hint of bricking. Bacon fat on the nose and on the palate, some decent structure, this was better than a recent 2001 I've tasted from the same house. I was hosting so didn't get the chance to REALLY contemplate, but a very good start to the family festivities.

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Flight 2 - Christmas Day (4 Notes)

Christmas Dinner

  • NV Michel Arnould & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Genèse

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/29/2025)

    The new cuvee (replacing the old GC Brut Rosé I think) and kindly ordered by a relative for our shared Christmas celebrations. I'm not sure what she paid but...this seems like a small but perceptible step up from the lovely GC Brut Rosé en magnum - I'm not sure if they changed the wine-making, but I wouldn't be surprised if the vintages also helped out. Anyway - jolly decent stuff.

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  • NV Michel Arnould & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/29/2025)

    From magnum - as good as ever, but I have to say, the newer cuvée (Genese) felt like a step up.

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  • 2013 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut

    France, Champagne

    (12/29/2025)

    Served from magnum on Christmas morning. i think I like the idea of 10am Champagne more than I like 10am Champagne. Light, energetic but somehow a bit hard work. Well, once the turkey was on and the first presents opened it started to balance out a bit. The nose is fab, full of zing. There's a light chalky character on the palate, but a lot going on behind it. Mrs M's aunt, who loves champagne but has no time for anything vinous, loved it.

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  • 2005 Château Montrose

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

    (12/30/2025)

    Opened as a treat for the chef while cooking christmas dinner. The first 2/3 of the bottle gently drunk over the following 4-5 hours, with a slight pause for napping and then finished with the cheese. I ended up having the whole bottle myself - not to be intentionally selfish, it was just that hardly anyone was on red, given the epic quantities of champagne served.

    Onto the wine. Yes tightly coiled, but a joyous spark and energy to it, and the fruit is jumping up and down in tight rhythm with the tannins. There's a long, refined finish but this isn't about length or refinement - it's about presence and urgency and joy. No rush to open my next but...gosh these are good.

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Flight 3 - Boxing Day (1 Note)

Bœuf Bourgignon

  • 2005 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

    (12/30/2025)

    Served with boxing day bœuf bourgignon. And why not. Garnet colour, just a hint of bricking. Brambly, earthy nose that you really have to sniff to get anything out of. The palate is where it's at, fine tannins, hints of parma violets, lovely balance. Interestingly, Mrs M was a big fan of this wine, which I was not expecting. Pleased to have one left in the cellar...

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Flight 4 - 28th December (1 Note)

Mac & Cheese (with and without bacon)

  • 2021 Lismore Syrah Estate Reserve

    South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg, Greyton

    (12/30/2025)

    After a change in dinner plans led to me cooking mac and cheese at home, pulled this out of the wine fridge. Served a bit too cold but quickly warmed up. Colour - purple just tending to garnet. On the nose, blue fruits, earth. On the palate - blue fruit, red fruit, taut precise acids framed over taut, composed tannins. This makes you want to climb and alp or solve a quadratic equation. Or at least, be the kind of person who climbs alps or solves equations. Good length on the finish and my gosh, an incredibly well-mannered 12% abv.

    2021 South Africa - the gift that just keeps on giving.

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